AUTO

Toyota says it is suspending production at all 28 lines of its 14 plants in Japan because of a “system malfunction” that a domestic supplier suspects is a cyberattack.

U.S. auto safety regulators have launched another investigation of Tesla, this time tied to complaints that its cars can stop on roads for no apparent reason.

States are getting the go-ahead to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations that would place new or upgraded stations every 50 miles along interstate highways.

The U.S. government’s auto safety agency is investigating multiple complaints about steering failures that could affect more than 1.1 million Honda Accord sedans.

DETROIT – Kia is telling owners of nearly 380,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outdoors due to the risk of an engine compartment fire. AdThe recall comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating Kia and Hyundai engine fires in 2019. Kia was to pay $27 million and invest $16 million in safety performance measures. Another $27 million payment will be deferred as long as Kia meets safety conditions, NHTSA said. AdEngine failure and fire problems with Hyundais and Kias have affected more than 6 million vehicles since 2015, according to NHTSA documents.

DETROIT – Volkswagen is recalling over 105,000 Beetles with faulty Takata front driver’s air bags that can explode and hurl shrapnel. Dealers will replace the front driver’s air bags at no cost to owners starting on Feb. 12. But it’s recalling them at the behest of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is concerned that the air bags could explode over time. Exploding Takata inflators caused the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 63 million inflators recalled. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide.

The announcement came on the same day CEO Elon Musk said he has moved his home to Texas from California. In September, Tesla said it planned to sell up to $5 billion worth of common shares just one day after a 5-for-1 stock split took effect. Musk told The Wall Street Journal in an interview Tuesday that he has moved to Texas, saying that California has taken innovators for granted. On the stock offering, Tesla Inc. said in a regulatory filing that the sales would be made “from time to time." Tesla's stock has exploded this year, rising more than 600%.

DETROIT – Metal fragments from an exploding air bag inflator killed the driver of an older Volvo, touching off a U.S. recall of up to 54,000 cars, regulators said Saturday. NHTSA said the ZF/TRW inflator rupture that caused the death is the only known incident worldwide. The problem caused the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 63 million inflators recalled. NHTSA said Saturday that the ZF/TRW inflators did not use ammonium nitrate to inflate the air bags. Volvo says in documents posted by NHTSA that registration data found about 13,800 of the recalled cars are still in use.

COPENHAGEN – Volvo Cars said Wednesday that it is recalling nearly 2.1 million vehicles worldwide as a preventive measure after the company discovered that a steel wire connected to the front seat belts can be weakened. The front seat belts are anchored to the car via this steel cable, press spokesman Stefan Elfstrom told Swedish public radio. No current models are included in the recall. There have been no reports of injuries or accidents linked to the fault. Volvo Cars has been owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group since 2010.

Nine Amtrak Auto train cars hauling 179 vehicles derailed in area of West Beresford Road and Alexander Drive. An Amtrak Auto train derailed Thursday sending nine of its train cars hauling vehicles off the tracks in the area of West Beresford Road and Alexander Drive near DeLand, according to Volusia County Fire. The passenger portion of the train did not derail and none of the 294 passengers aboard were injured, said Volusia County Fire Acting Division Chief Bill Medlin. To accommodate railroad repair, the Volusia County Road and Bridge Department announced Friday morning that South Beresford Road from West Beresford Avenue to Alexander Drive will be continuously closed through Monday . "If you have any questions, please contact Dave Padgett, Volusia County Road and Bridge at 386-239-6535."